1846. It is not clear why he did so. However, two reasons are generally cited for the resignation; health and alcohol. The years spent living in the primitive forests of Canada and the ever-increasing use of alcohol appear to have taken a toll. William Tiger Dunlop was a tired and sick man. Tiger was not taken seriously in Parliament or in the newspaper editorials of the day. Unfortunately, the two political concepts of the Parliament of Canada that he could not absorb were responsible government and the concept of group or social liberty. Dunlop firmly believed in individual liberty and in patronage. Moreover, Dunlop was far ahead of his time on other issues, such as education, professional independence, commerce and the rights of French Canadians. Dunlop was tired of the fight and the irrelevant place he had carved for himself in Parliament with his outspokenness. Tory ministers William Henry Draper and Denis-Benjamin Viger apparently wanted their colleague Inspector General William Cayley to have a safe seat in parliament and looked to Huron. Dunlop was offered the superintendency of the Lachine Canal in return for his seat. To the surprise of all, Dunlop accepted the post. Character Origins of the nickname "Tiger" Dunlop was known under a variety of nicknames, but the one that has lasted and remains with him to this day is "Tiger". In Upper Canada, he was also known as The Doctor, Peter Poundtext, or Ursa Major and often as The Backwoodsman. The Doctor, of course, is a reference to his professional occupation Poundtext is a word play on a type of loan, where no matter the credit rating of the borrower, he may borrow and then repay in seven days. Ursa Major is a constellation containing the Big Dipper—another financial reference to Dunlop, but probably more accurate is Ursa Major containing the great bear, a reference to Dunlop's herculean body. The Backwoodsman refers to his life as a frontierman. The nickname "Tiger" is supposed to have been given to him during his time in India. Some sources describe it as Dunlop participating in a sport; others describe it as a business trip. The combination of two seems to be more inline with Dunlop's character. The business trip included a cull of the Saugor Island tigers.<ref=DCB/> Stories of the legend During his time and certainly after William Tiger Dunlop became a legend. It was common for people to